Average prison sentences across six child sex offences ranged from 4.61 to 9.82 years, according to a study of Hong Kong court judgments. Each offence carries a maximum sentence of life imprisonment.
TALK Hong Kong presented the study on 20 October. Commissioned from The University of Hong Kong, it examined 401 sentencing judgments from 1990 to 2025.
Puja Kapai Paryani, an associate professor at the university’s law faculty, proposed that the government establish a sentencing council to issue binding guidelines. Judges who departed from them would have to explain their reasons in detail, she said.
She also said courts could weigh aggravating factors inconsistently in similar cases. Courts could give weight to a defendant’s claim that a child complainant had consented while overlooking the power imbalance between them.
TALK Hong Kong also launched Stop It Now HK, an anonymous self-help platform for adults and young people worried about sexual thoughts or behaviour involving children. The organisation said a warning would appear for users with Hong Kong IP addresses searching for child sexual abuse material; clicking it directs them to the platform.